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November 2008

November 28, 2008

Right-hander Wes Littleton, who was designated for assignment last week, has been traded to Boston for a player to be named later or cash considerations. General manager Jon Daniels said the deal might not be completed until Opening Day.

Littleton, 26, spent most of the 2008 season at Triple-A Oklahoma but made 12 appearances for the Rangers after being the last player sent down at the end of spring training. He was the Rangers' fourth-round pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.

November 26, 2008

Speculation is rampant that Rick Adair, the Rangers' minor-league pitching coordinator, is headed to Seattle to be the Mariners' bullpen coach in what has the look of an ex-Rangers reunion.

Former bench coach Don Wakamatsu, who was hired last week as the Mariners' manager, wants to bring former bullpen coach Dom Chiti, who was fired in August, in as pitching coach. Chiti, then, would hire his buddy, Adair, to be bullpen coach.

But Adair isn't the only Rangers development coordinator the Mariners might try to land. Wayne Kirby, who oversees outfielders and base-running, might also be of interest for the big-league staff.

Here's a link to a Seattle Times story on some, but not all, of the staff-shaping.

Adair says he hasn't been contacted by Seattle. General manager Jon Daniels says the Rangers haven't been asked for permission from Seattle to speak with Adair, who has been a key cog in the overhaul of the Rangers' minor-league system. A baseball source said no permission has been sought on Kirby either.

November 24, 2008

The coach for Japanese amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa said the Rangers have offered the 22-year-old right-hander a multiyear contract that is more financially lucrative than any other team has offered, according to this story.

General manager Jon Daniels denied via text message Sunday that the Rangers had plans to meet with Tazawa, who is attempting to bypass Japan Professional Baseball and move directly to the United States.

Jim Colborn, the Rangers' director of Pacific Rim operations, has scouted Tazawa and said he has an average fastball but above-average breaking pitches.

He spent the season with Japan Oil, a corporate team that was eliminated from the national tournament Saturday. His coach, Hideaki Okubo, said four teams have met with Tazawa and that a decision could be made this week.

Boston is considered the front-runner, with Seattle and Atlanta also confirmed by Okubo to have met with Tazawa.

More team awards have been doled out, and the recipients will be honored at the Sluggers of the West Awards Dinner on Jan. 23 (call 817-436-5933 for ticket info.) Vicente Padilla is the Rangers' Pitcher of the Year, and manager Ron Washington has won the Harold McKinney Good Guy Award. Padilla was an obvious choice, and while the Good Guy Award often goes to players, Washington displayed his character in the face of the Rangers' bad start and is just a good guy. Makes sense to me.

But it's a not a huge one with catchers being swapped for pitchers. The Rangers have sent minor-league outfielder John Mayberry Jr. to the Phillies for minor-league outfielder Greg Golson, a native Texan.

Golson, the Phillies' 2004 first-round pick, spent the season in Double-A Reading, where he hit .282 with 13 homers, 60 RBI and 23 steals. Not bad, though he had an incredibly poor strikeouts-to-walks differential of 130 to 34. Still, the Phillies called him up in September, and he made his major-league debut Sept. 3. He went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts and a stolen base in brief action.

Mayberry, who finished the year at Triple-A Oklahoma, was the Rangers' first-round pick in 2005. He hit a combined .264 between Double-A Frisco and Oklahoma in 2008 with 20 homers and 71 RBI.

A source with the Rangers said a deal to sell the rights of right-hander pitcher Kameron Loe to a Japanese team is all but finalized. ESPN first reported the news, saying Loe has agreed to a two-year, $2 million contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster, which is no small detail. Today is the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster who otherwise would be subjected to the Rule V draft next month.

November 18, 2008

My counterpart on the other side of the Metroplex did everyone the courtesy of revealing how he voted for the American League MVP award -- and more power to him for answering to the Red Sox nation -- so I thought it's only fair that I do the same.

The main difference in our ballots is at the top. I voted Dustin Pedroia to win the award. His stats -- league- and baseball-leading 213 hits (tied with Ichiro Suzuki) and 54 doubles, league-leading 118 runs, .326 average, 20 for 21 on stolen bases -- are only one of the things that made him the MVP. As a first-time voter, I looked beyond his relative lack of production and at else what he brought to the RedSox. He's Gold Glove defender. He displayed an alarming proficiency as a clean-up hitter, albeit for only a few games. But, boy, they were critical games. Each time I saw him, whether in person or on TV, he was in the middle of something good.

After Pedroia, Ipicked: Justin Morneau, Josh Hamilton, Kevin Youkilis, Joe Mauer, Evan Longoria, Francisco Rodriguez, Grady Sizemore, Carlos Quentin and Ian Kinsler. Yep, I'm the writer who voted for Kinsler, who at the time of his injury was ahead of Pedroia in some key categories and was the lead-off hitter for the best offense in baseball.

Just like Evan Grant over at the Morning News, I didn't take this task lightly. I struggled with the first five, and have on occasionsince turning in my ballot on the final Sunday of the regular season.Morneau faded late, but would the Twins have been in a playoff for the Central title without him? Nope. Youkilis played first and third base with equal proficiency and was a big-time run producer. But how many times did he drive in Pedroia? Hamilton was the best player on a non-contending team, but his numbers weren't outrageously better than all others to merit a first-place vote.

I haven't lost any sleep on having Rodriguez in the bottom five or leaving Alex Rodriguez off my ballot. Cliff Lee, the AL Cy Young winner, was very good, but I omitted him as well because I believe Cleveland teammate Grady Sizemore was more valuable. Evan Longoria, the Rookie of the Year, made a world of difference for Tampa Bay, but he didn't play a full season. Ditto for Quentin, who was the MVP at the time of his injury.

Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton finished a distant seventh in MVP voting, which was released 20 or so minutes ago. Dustin Pedroia, the Boston Red Sox second baseman, won the award comfortably. He outdistanced Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis.

Hamilton, who hit .304 with 32 homers and 130 RBI, received two third-place votes and was named on 26 of 28 ballots from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He finished two spots behind Carlos Quentin, the Chicaco White Sox outfielder who had 36 homers despite missing the final month of the season.

Former Rangers DH Milton Bradley received a sixth- and seventh-place vote, and second baseman Ian Kinsler landed a 10th-place vote.

November 17, 2008

Oklahoma manager and all-around good guy Bobby Jones has been selected as the recipient of the inaugural Mike Coolbaugh Award, which goes to the person who displays work ethic, knowledge of the game and an ability to mentor players.

Coolbaugh, who was killed last year when struck by a line drive while coach first base for Double-A Tulsa, played under Jones in 1996. Coolbaugh's brother, Scott, is a coach in the Rangers' minor-league system.

Jones, who completed his 21st as a coach or manager in the organization, will receive his award during the winter meetings next month in Las Vegas.